Kythian

Kythian, a small town north of Lyria in the Kingdom of Lyria, is a quiet little town on the edge of the north border.

Description
It is a splendidly picturesque garden town, with every spare patch of ground and any available surface adorned with lovingly tended greenery and full gardens and bowers to be found all over town. The wooden buildings—of all shapes and sizes, no two of which were alike—are overgrown with vines and decorated with hanging plants, with plants both inside and on the roof. Even the streets are planted with tanglemoss (though it wore down to bare dirt on busy routes), and they curved and meandered to provide a good view or an interesting route. Giant ancient trees lined the green grassy banks of the river. Kythian seems to melt back into the forest or to have grown out of it. It is a gardener's joy.

Just like the meandering roads, life takes a slow and measured pace here, where one preferred to enjoy the view than hurry.

Thanks to the bridge over the river, Kythian spreads out on both sides of the Cormanthyr River. However, a wide pool was dug into the bank of the river, providing an area for lading cargo, serving as the harbor. Barges, coracles, and flat-bottomed skiffs used for fishing and trade cluster here. The only ugly things in town are those left bare by practicality: four warehouses by the harbor and the cooperworks beside them on the west.

The bridge is a spectacular and beautiful arching stone structure. It is decorated with fanciful carved stone heads, with snarling, pig-snouted faces said to be those of dragon turtles. They watch over the warehouses, giving the business its name: the Watchful Turtle.

History
The area was originally settled by human refugees fleeing the downfall of North. Their communities were the progenitors of the city of Kythian, as well as other cities of the North.

The area was once the site of a community of elves, part of an ancient elven nation. The great dwarf craftsman Iirikos Stoneshoulder and his team of dwarves from the Bladed Mountains built an ornate bridge across the Cormanthyr River at this site for some elven friends in the. These elves, who were members of two high elf families who followed Labelas Enoreth, built a school of philosophy on the north bank of the river. Constructing homes around the school, which they named the Velti'Enorethal, the site grew into a small town. The population grew again when Earlanni wood elves applied to join the school.

Later on, further settlement of the Kythian region, as well as several small villages, and others, was undertaken by human pioneers from Lyria after the establishment of the Royal House there in 643 AS. These pioneers were sponsored by noble and mercantile Lyrian families.

The humans discovered the town and built their own houses, bringing human ideals to the expanding settlement. Though most of the humans lived separately from the elves on the south bank of the river, the growing human population upset the elven natives and in the Year of the Bloodrose, 1100 AS, they elves fled to find their Promised Home.

Government
The town is ruled by a Mayor, they oversee all that needs to be done and sends a tithe to the Royal Family for their protection.

The militia comprises of 300 soldiers.

Trade
The local people make a living through farming and fishing, as well as by providing services to caravans. They often eat trout, a fish caught in the river. The Kyrthian Vale region was known for making the richest cheeses in the North, such as the translucent mist cheese. These cheeses are ripened in local caves. Hardwoods are also produced in the area; such woods were fine carved for the "Avatar" chess set sold by Enzo's Emporium in Lyria.